Despite Malaysia's strict laws - death by hanging is the mandatory penalty for drug trafficking convictions - Kuala Lumpur airport authorities last year seized some 195 kilogrammes (430 pounds) of drugs and held more than 30 people.

Smugglers have traditionally arrived from Africa and the Middle East but are increasingly coming from countries such as Turkey and the Philippines, according to officials.

A high court sentenced a 23-year-old Iranian mechanic to death Monday for trafficking 1.4 kilogrammes of methamphetamine two years ago, according to the official Bernama news agency.

Several other Europeans, including two from Britain, one from the Netherlands and one from France, were arrested in drug raids in Malaysia and charged with trafficking in November.

In October, a Malaysian court sentenced a Japanese women to death for smuggling methamphetamine into the country in what officials said was the first such case involving a citizen of Japan.